Surface figure toy



Dec. 16, 1947. E. SCHUERGER SURFACE FIGURE TOY Filed April 5, 1946 C MIZ H vw w w aer e1. BY 6 a m3 ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 16, 1 947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SURFACE FIGURE TOY Edward Schuerger, Cleveland, Ohio Application April 5, 1946Serial No. 659,976

4 Claims. (01. 46 -105) My invention relates to figure toys and more particularly to the type which is adapted to travel along a supporting surface.

'It is one of the objects of the present invention to provide a figure toy resembling an animal, such as a rabbit, and to so construct the same that when'it is rolled along the floor or other surface, its movement will simulate that of a natural rabbit.

Another object of the invention resides in simplicity of construction, minimum number of movable parts and its low cost of manufacture.

A further object of the invention consists in the provision of novel means operable by traction of the toy with the floor or other supporting surface, to impart a natural hop or jump to the toy.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will become more apparent as the following desoription of one embodiment thereof progresses, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters are employed to designate like parts throughout the same.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a figure toy embodying my invention;

Figure 2 is a front view of the same;

Figure 3 is a perspective View of the rear leg assembly;

Figure 4 is a vertical section taken on line 4-4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a side view in perspective of the main body of the toy, with the rear leg assembly removed; and

Figure 6 is a perspective View of one of the wheels on which the toy is supported on a surface.

As is well known, the movement of a natural rabbit in travel along the ground chiefly results from a series of strong hops or jumps.

The present invention aims to provide a figure toy not only resembling a natural rabbit in appearance, but which is $0 constructed that the movement of a rabbit may be very closely simulated.

In carrying out the invention, I provide a main body portion I comprising, in one piece, the head, ears, forelegs and body of the rabbit. A shaft or pin 2 is fitted in the body near the rear end thereof and its ends project outwardly on each side of the body to rotatably support and carrythe wheels or rollers 3, the shaft ends being inserted in the holes 4 of the wheels.

The holes 4 which define the turning axis for the wheels are eccentrically located as illustrated in the drawing.

Thehind leg assembly of the toy comprises the side members 5 arranged in parallel relation and each having a forwardly projecting foot 5 con-- nected together bymeans of a spacer block or bar I. The main body portion of the members 5 is of enlarged ears, while th rearwardly projecting portions 8 are apertured at 51 to receive the inturned ends [0 of the forked handle H by which the toy is pushed along a surface.

The members 5 are also provided with holes 12 in axial alignment through which the headed fasteners 13 project. These fasteners are em ployed to assemble the hind leg unit on the wheels 3, so that there can be relative rotative movement between the wheels and the unit when the toy is operated. concentrically disposed holes I4 are provided in the wheels to receive the pins or fasteners 13 as shown in Figure 4.

It will be noted that the connecting bar 1 is preferably of circular cross section and is arranged transversely of the body to engage and slide along the curved undersurface of the same as shown in Figure 1. The function of this bar during one complete revolution of the rollers 3 is to move forwardly with the unit 5 and out of engagement with the body I, so that the body is forwardly supported on the floor by the forelegs while the rollers are running approximately one-quarter turn in a counter clockwise direction from the position shown in Figure 1, then rear wardly and out of contact with the body undersurface for the neXt quarter turn of the wheels in the same direction. During this portion of the turning cycle of the wheels, the turning center defined by the pin 2 is raised with respect to the center l3, thus tilting the body I upwardly about the forelegs as a fulcrum. During the third quarter turn of the rollers, the unit 5 continues in a relatively rearward direction with the bar 1 out of contact with the body during most of this portion of the turning cycle, but finally engaging the body I undersurface as the body is lowered about the foreleg fulcrum. For the remainder of the turning cycle, during the last quarter turn, the bar 1 acts as a fulcrum for the body as it is then rocked on the bar in a clockwise direction, that is, the fore part of the body is lifted from contact with the floor while the rear portion of the body is lowered as a result of the center 2 moving to a position below the center [3 while the body is fulcrumed on the bar 1.

While I have shown the forked handle as pivotally connected in the openings 9, it is to be understood that the same may be directly supported by its inturned ends ID in the openings M in lieu of the pins l3.

By my invention, I have produced a toy which not only is realistic in appearance and performance, but which is of extremely simple construction and inexpensive to manufacture. Furthermore, it comprises relatively few parts as compared to many of the devices of the prior art where it is desired to simulate the natural movement of animals.

Various changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a surface figure toy comprising a'body, and means on said body for imparting a hopping or jumping motion thereto as the body is moved along a supporting surface, said means including a roller eccentrically mounted on said body and a member rotatably carried on said roller and having an extended portion engageable With said body during a portion of the cycle of actuation of said roller to lift the forward part of said body in a manner simulating a natural hop or j mp.

2. In a surface figure toy comprising a body having a foreleg portion for slidable engagement with a supporting surface as the toy is moved therealong, a supporting roller mounted on said body near one end thereof, and a member carried by said roller for slidable engagement with said surface, said member having an extended por- 4 tion intermittently engageable with said body as the roller is rotated to thereby intermittently lift the foreleg portion of said body about said portion as a fulcrum and causing said body to hop along said surface as the toy is pushed.

3. In a surface figure toy comprising a body having a foreleg portion for slidable engagement with a supporting surface as the toy is moved therealong, a supporting roller eccentrically rotatable on said body, a member pivotally carried by said roller, said member having a forwardly extending ortion constituting a fulcrum for engagement with said body as the roller is rotated to lift said body and to impart a hopping motion to said body as the same is moved along said surface, and a handle pivotally carried by said body for moving the same along said surface.

4. In a surface figure toy comprising a body having a foreleg portion for slidable engagement with a supporting surface as the toy is moved therealong, a supporting roller eccentrically rotatable on said body, a member pivotally carried by said roller, said member having a forwardly extending portion constituting a fulcrum for engagement with said body as the roller is rotated to lift said body and to impart a hopping motion to said body as the same is moved along said surface, and a, handle pivotally carried by said body for moving the same along said surface, the axis of rotation of said roller describing a path around the pivotal axis of said member when said roller is rotated.

EDWARD SCHUERGER. 

